Hormones
by native portlandian
Summary: Sometimes he wishes he could just be like everyone else his age and not think at all. Oneshot.


Disclaimer – Lol I wish I owned the Teen Titans.

A/N – There are certain parts of this fic that I was worried wouldn't fit in the T rating category, so please tell me if you think I should bump it up. Don't want anyone to be upset! Enjoy! And for those who read my other oneshot (The Freak Club), I will be updating that, don't you worry :D

…

After his three years with the Teen Titans, Beast Boy had gradually discovered that his favorite thing to do was drive Raven crazy. It was a dangerous game, yes. But Beast Boy liked danger.

Today, Raven was in an especially bad mood. Beast Boy wasn't really sure why, but it may have had something to do with the fact that he had used up all of the warm water that morning. Since then, the sorceress had been seething, snapping at everyone who so much as said her name. Poor Starfire had actually burst into tears after Raven had harshly denied the alien's request to sing a traditional Tameranian "cheering-up song". This had royally pissed Robin off, and the Boy Wonder had made the terrible decision of chewing Raven out. With a zap of her powers, Robin's stereo became a pile of metal fragments. Beast Boy and Cyborg kept their heads low, fearing for the well-being of the game station. It was only after Raven had retreated to her lair that they even spoke.

"Man," Cyborg stated, eyeing the newly destroyed radio. "Someone's in an awful mood today."

"You said it," Beast Boy commented. A spark danced in his stomach. A challenge was afoot.

Starfire sniffled, still upset over Raven's outburst. "Do you think it is…the PMS?" she asked. The three boys exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Uh, I don't know, Star," Robin answered, running a gloved hand through his hair. "Has anyone done anything to upset Raven?"

The room was quiet. Beast Boy suddenly noticed that all eyes were on him.

"What?" He bristled. "I'm not the source of _all_ of Raven's issues!" Cyborg narrowed his human eye.

"Who else is dumb enough to mess with a demon?" the half-robot quipped.

"_Half_-demon," Beast Boy amended. "And FYI, I haven't done anything. I even showered!"

Starfire cocked her head to the side. "What is the occasion?" She remained just as confused when Robin and Cyborg burst into laughter. "I was under the impression that friend Beast Boy only bathed when asked multiple times."

"Hey!" Beast Boy snapped, flattening his ears. "I don't need to be asked _every_ time!"

Robin was still chuckling. "Beast Boy's hygiene aside, can anyone think of a reason?"

Cyborg shrugged. "Maybe Starfire's right. Hormones." Robin clenched his jaw in discomfort. The leader usually chose to ignore the 'teen' part of Teen Titans. As far as Robin was concerned, they should be acting like the Responsible Middle-Aged Titans. But he had to face the truth – they were, like all teenagers, sexual timebombs.

Luckily for Robin, the alarms began blaring right then and there. It was convenient that four of the five titans were already in the common room. They waited, fidgeting, for Raven to join them. The call of battle was drilled deep into each of their minds – every second that passed was another second lost to the enemy. Finally, Raven phased up through the floor, hood obscuring all but her eyes. Robin typed in the code next to the large TV, which was currently flashing a red ALERT. Immediately, coordinates and info radioed in by the police appeared on the screen.

"Oh, great," Cyborg grumbled. "Mumbo Jumbo."

…

The stupid thing about Mumbo Jumbo, in Beast Boy's opinion, was that the psycho magician was all over the place. One second he would be at the bank, making money explode out of various places, and the next, POOF! He's running across a rooftop halfway across town. Due to this inconvenience, the titans usually split into groups. Thankfully, Mumbo had a crippling weakness – he was predictable.

Robin and Cyborg took the T-Car out to the current crime scene (a bank, not surprisingly) and the three flying Titans were sent to two other areas of town. Starfire took one end of the street the bank was on, and Beast Boy and Raven took the other. Since Mumbo wasn't really labeled as a "serious threat" (he was more of a nuisance than anything), two titans could usually overpower him. Starfire had proven before that she could take on Mumbo by herself, so they usually let her be the lone wolf. Originally, Raven had objected to this, claiming that if anyone should work alone, it should be her. Robin had firmly put his foot down, and Raven had accepted the position next to Beast Boy begrudgingly.

Today, as the twosome waited for the magician to be flushed out, Beast Boy wondered if Raven would take up the argument again. The sorceress was hovering about a foot off of the ground, her violet eyes narrowed in annoyance. Black energy crackled off of her. Beast Boy crouched on the pavement, unsure what to do with himself. Cyborg and Robin could be busy for anywhere between two minutes and an hour. He briefly wondered if he should turn into something threatening looking (Raven was doing that already) or whether he should just entertain himself by annoying his teammate. He chose the latter.

"Soooo," he said, trailing a gloved finger over the concrete. "What's up?"

"Now is not the time for your brainless discussions, Beast Boy," she spat. He could barely stop his lips from curling into a smile. She always took the bait so well.

"Geez, Rae," he whined. She tensed at the nickname. _Perfect_. "I'm just trying to be nice. Why are you in such a bad mood? Leotard too tight?" It was such a dangerous move. A one-way ticket into the bay. Raven's eyes were starting to turn red.

"If we weren't in the middle of a mission, I would gladly make _your_ leotard too tight," she hissed. Beast Boy gulped at the thought of his uniform going places he'd prefer it not. The animals in his blood all cried out in general fear. The rush of adrenaline was almost overwhelming.

"Wanna know what Starfire thinks?" Oh, he was so in for it. "She thinks you're PMSing."

Immediately, Raven rounded on him, in full demon form. _Double points_. Her four eyes blazed with fury. "I AM NOT PMSING!" she screeched through rows of fangs. Beast Boy flattened his ears and cringed away in spite of himself. Regaining her composure, Raven returned to her normal form. Black spikes still sparked off of her. Wow. He had _really _gotten under her skin with that one. He opened his mouth to make another comment on her hormone unbalance, when the doors of the bank erupted out with doves.

Yes, doves.

Mumbo leaped out with the birds, laughing manically. He held two bulging sacks of money. He briefly stopped to yell something behind him, presumably a pun of some kind, and then began to race in Raven and Beast Boy's direction. Beast Boy shifted into his jaguar form, wanting something quick enough to dodge Mumbo's unpredictable tricks but strong enough to take him down if need be.

As the villain drew closer, Beast Boy crouched low to the ground, a growl building in his chest. Raven floated a little high into the air, her eyes white with pure power.

"Azarath, metrion, ZINTHOS!"

A wall of black energy exploded in Mumbo's path. The man was unprepared for this, and slammed into it, dropping the money. He lay on the ground for a moment, dazed. Beast Boy leaped over there and shifted into his normal form. He grabbed the sacks of money off of the ground, out of Mumbo's reach. Raven phased beside them, ready to handcuff the magician.

"Ah, my assistant!" Mumbo exclaimed. "How very wonderful to see you again!" A smile stretched unnaturally large across his teal face. "Sorry to keep this visit so short, but I've been feeling a little _under the weather_!" In the blink of an eye he had pulled up his wand and sent a burst of lightning to each of the unsuspecting titans. Beast Boy felt a burst of pain and heat. After it passed, he could smell the distinct scent of singed hair and cloth. He and Raven were both decidedly blackened. The hood of the sorceress's cloak had actually been entirely burned off. It took a second for Beast Boy to realize that Mumbo Jumbo had taken back the moneybags.

Mumbo was halfway down the street, practically cackling. Beast Boy turned into a cheetah and sprinted after him. Mumbo looked over his shoulder, bugged his eyes in comic terror, and howled "Houston, we have a problem!" Rockets appeared out of the bottom of his feet, and the magician soared onto the roof of the hotel nearest to them, nearly crying tears of laughter.

"That's new," Raven growled. Without waiting for a response, she zoomed after Mumbo to the roof. Beast Boy morphed into a falcon and followed, flapping his wings as fast as possible to keep up. Thankfully, he caught an updraft and was able to soar gracefully onto the rooftop. Just as he landed, Mumbo, who was standing next to his overturned top hat, threw playing cards at Raven's mouth, not allowing her to finish her mantra. Beast Boy switched into a tiger and leaped at Mumbo while the sorceress tore angrily at the cards.

Mumbo winked at Beast Boy, and jumped into the hat. His tuft of white hair had just disappeared as Beast Boy pounced onto the hat. It folded beneath his massive green paws. There was nothing inside. Beast Boy shifted back into human form, picking up the hat to check underneath it. Nothing. "What the hell…?"

A ripping sound. Beast Boy whipped around and saw that Raven had finally gotten the playing cards off of her mouth. An angry red x had appeared over her lips. "Did he go into that stupid hat-world?" she growled. If she wasn't in a bad mood before, she certainly was now.

"I don't think so," Beast Boy answered. He pulled the hat up to his face, squinting into the hole. To his complete surprise, the hat-hole became a mouth, blew a raspberry at him, and then exploded into confetti. Beast Boy stared incredulously at the spot where the hat had been, his arms still outstretched. "Am I hallucinating? I knew that tofu was kinda old, but –"

"You aren't hallucinating," Raven cut in. "Mumbo is an illusionist, remember? He probably just distracted us with some idiotic trick hat." Her eyes were narrowed to slits, and her hair now had blackened tips. Soot dusted her pale skin. Her navy cape, now hoodless, was torn in numerous places. Beast Boy suspected that he looked just as screwed up.

"Then where did he go?" Beast Boy challenged. "I think we would have noticed if he'd jumped off the roof."

"He didn't," Raven stated. Her violet gaze fixed on a spot over Beast Boy's shoulder. He turned to see what she was looking at, and groaned. The roof access door was behind them – and it was conveniently opened.

They raced down into the hotel's top floor, entering into a stairwell. Another good thing about Mumbo – he left a trail. The door to the rooms on the top floor hung off one hinge, and it was splattered with pink and yellow paint.

"He has to be here," Beast Boy stated. "I mean, who else would do that?"

Raven narrowed her eyes. "I'm not so sure," she said slowly. "What if this is a distraction? Something to lead us off of the trail?" Beast Boy swiped his hand at the questions, as though shooing a troublesome fly.

"Are you kidding? Mumbo makes everything up as he goes! Do you really think he'd take the time to do _this_," He gestured wildly at the door, "just to confuse us?" Raven huffed in frustration. She moved her fingers to put her hood up, before remembering that it had been burnt off.

"Let's just get this over with," she sighed. Levitating herself off the ground, she floated into the hallway. Beast Boy transformed into a bloodhound and followed. In this form, his sense of smell – which was already at least three times as good as a human's – increased in detail tenfold. Smell was the most underrated of senses, of that he was certain. Placing his greenish-black nose on the ground, he attempted to find Mumbo's scent while Raven tried the doors.

Hotels are an awful place to pick up scents. So _many_ people had been up and down these halls, both recently and not. Beast Boy whined and looked up at Raven. She turned toward him, lip curling.

"You're barely trying," she pointed out. Beast Boy snorted. She obviously didn't understand how distracted his bloodhound brain was getting. Suddenly, there it was. Firework smoke, stage makeup, and the exciting aroma of rabbit. Mumbo Jumbo. Beast Boy barked excitedly and trotted down the scent trail, barely aware that Raven was following him. It was so _fresh_!

The scent stopped at a normal-looking door at the end of the hallway. Beast Boy shifted back into himself, still riding on his excitement. Immediately as he read the sign on the door though, the excitement died as quickly as it had come.

"Honeymoon Suite," Raven read. "Lovely." She tried the door knob. It was unlocked.

"Wait!" Beast Boy cried out. He knocked Raven's hand away from the knob. Raven turned her head slowly to him. If looks could kill, Beast Boy would be a pile of ashes.

"What?" she said through clenched teeth. Beast Boy stepped back, feeling extremely sheepish. Oh, he had a very good reason for not wanting to go into this particular room. And it wasn't one he was about to tell Raven.

"Er…" He picked at the fingers of his left glove. Raven seethed. "Maybe its booby trapped!" Beast Boy internally congratulated himself for not laughing at the word 'booby'. Up until he was about fifteen, he could not take that term seriously. Hell, at the ripe old age of seventeen, he still couldn't.

Raven looked less than amused. Turning toward the door, she murmured, "Azarath, metrion, zinthos." The door, encased in black energy, flew off the hinges. Immediately, a different scent assaulted Beast Boy's senses, and his mind was wiped clean.

Like any normal human boy, Beast Boy had gone through puberty. Unlike any normal human boy, with puberty came the animal's needs. At fourteen, he had spent many days in his room during certain parts of the year, confused and terrified. Only Cyborg knew about this, and his cybernetic best friend chalked it up to mating seasons. It was extremely embarrassing. The worst part of this was that he could _smell_ when girls were fertile, which made the animals inside of him go _crazy_. This made for a lot of awkward avoidances and sudden sick days at first. In the three years since then, he had learned how to control his…urges…and how to avoid certain things. One of these things, he had learned, was the smell of sex. Usually it was very slight – a whiff from a passing couple, a faint tang in a room. Since Robin and Starfire were waiting, Cyborg never brought a girl to the tower, and Raven never even _dated_, Beast Boy didn't have to deal with it at home. Beast Boy would never admit that, although he had had quite a few girlfriends (all two of them), he was a virgin. The main reason was because the scent of sex clouded his judgment and brought out only his base instincts: eat, sleep, mate. There was a fear always tingling at the back of his mind, a fear that he would accidentally hurt someone. Ever since the Beast incident, Beast Boy had been wary of his "base instincts". If he ever did get that intimate with someone, they'd need to be strong enough to handle him. Civilians didn't really make that cut.

So when Raven opened the door to a room generally devoted to one thing, Beast Boy braced himself. And when the scent washed over him, he realized he had been rather unprepared. It was _overwhelming_. His heart leaped in his chest, and then sped up considerably. Breath caught in his throat. His hair stood up. He couldn't even think.

Distantly, he heard Raven say, "Wow. Cliché." The room was dominated by a king-size bed adorned in puffy red and white pillows. Rose petals were sprinkled over the sheets. In the corner next to the window, there was a minibar with a bottle of champagne glittering in a pail of ice. Two slim champagne glasses stood next to it, just behind a tiny, handwritten sign: _Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Hanson_.

Beast Boy barely noticed this. Currently, he was struggling with the concept of breathing. He drew in a shuddery breath, and as he let it out a guttural growl escaped with it. Raven looked over at him, one eyebrow arched.

"You…okay?" she asked awkwardly. Beast Boy stared back at her, his jaw slack. How had he never realized how _hot_ Raven was? She had come a long way from girlhood, her once rounded face now shaped with sharp cheekbones and a slim jawline. Her violet hair, only slightly burnt, fell crisply to her chin, framing her face and accentuating her plum-colored eyes. She was no Starfire, but her body was far from bad. Her cloak was currently opened in the front, exposing her leotard, which hugged her curves like a second skin. And her _legs_. He had noticed them before, but now he couldn't take his eyes off of them.

"Earth to Beast Boy," Raven groaned, snapping her fingers in front of his eyes. "Snap out of it."

The green-skinned teen blinked a few times, but the feeling didn't go away. Somehow, he knew it wouldn't. _You can control this_, a tiny voice at the back of his head whispered. _This is the smell talking. Use your brain, BB!_

"Easier said than done," he grumbled to himself. Raven walked past him, her scent drifting across his nose. Oh, _lord_. Another growl rumbled in his chest. He wanted so badly to push her against the wall, kiss her, tear her leotard off with his claws…

"Are you going to help me look or are you just going to stand there like an idiot?" Raven snapped. The image was gone, replaced by the real Raven. His friend. His teammate. Beast Boy shook his head, clenching his teeth. What was he _thinking_?! He didn't want that. _It's just the animals_, he thought. _It could be _any_ girl and I'd feel the same. This has nothing to do with _her.

"Uh." Speech was a rather advanced task. "Stand here like an idiot?" Raven rolled her eyes, muttering a "figures" under her breath. She walked over to the mini bar and picked up the card, turning it over in her hands.

"Looks like a couple is checking in today," she stated. Looking up, her eyes met Beast Boy's. An intense wave of feeling crashed over him, and Raven gasped. She fell back as if a physical force had pushed her, her knees pressing together and crumpling beneath her. The champagne bottle exploded, pieces of glass and alcohol spraying everywhere.

Of all of the people he had to be caught in this situation with, why did it have to be an empath?

Raven stared at him, her eyes wide and mouth agape. She was breathing heavily. Beast Boy gritted his teeth. Good god, this could _not_ be happening. "What," she gulped, "the Hell."

"Uhhh." Beast Boy scratched the back of his neck, trying to hide the fact that his claws had ripped through the tips of his gloves. Was there really any use lying to her? In all honesty, Beast Boy was incapable of hiding his emotions. Like Starfire, they were played on a loudspeaker for the world to hear. Raven complained about this often, sometimes even telling him to "turn it down". And since the current emotions raging through his system were already almost entirely out of his control, Raven was bound to feel them, even with her shields up. "Sorry?" He fidgeted, trying to ignore the fact that Raven was technically _feeling his feelings._

_Damn that's hot_.

Raven drew in a shaky breath through her nose, closing her eyes as she did so. She let it out, murmuring her mantra four times in quick succession. "Beast Boy," she rasped. "I'm not going to even ask. But I have to know. Is…this…going to be an issue?"

Now he was starting to sweat. He looked down at the floor and tried to take small breaths. "I don't even know," he mumbled. He was – ever so slowly – losing his composure. Maybe it was a good idea that he leave. _And leave Raven alone?_ Just like that, he was hopelessly torn. "Don't worry, I won't do anything….uh…weird." Raven eyed him, her jaw tense. Beast Boy knew she had already guessed what was going on.

"For my sake, I think it's a better idea –" Her communicator went off before she could finish the sentence. Turning away from her teammate and pulling her cloak close around her body, she flipped it open. "Raven reporting."

"Raven," It was Robin, his voice serious and commanding. Very leader-like. Beast Boy could barely hear it. He could however, hear Raven's heartbeat. "We caught up to Mumbo Jumbo. He was climbing off the roof of an office building next to the Valberg Deluxe Suites. Where are you and Beast Boy?" The changeling was moving on autopilot. His conscience, which had been struggling to maintain control, slipped away. He was behind Raven in a heartbeat, only inches away. Gently, ever so gently, he knelt his face beside her neck and breathed deeply from his nose.

Raven gasped audibly, much to Robin's worry. "Raven? Is everything alright?"

"You smell delicious," Beast Boy murmured absently. His voice was low and guttural. His lips were mere centimeters from her porcelain skin.

"Who is that?" Robin was sounding less worried and more suspicious. "Raven, move the screen."

"It's…It's…" Her heartbeat was erratic. Beast Boy bared his fangs in delight. At the back of his mind, a tiny voice was screaming that he was letting it control him, that he was _losing_, and to SNAP OUT OF IT, DUDE! He ignored it.

"You need to loosen up, Rae," he growled. "I can help you." Raven tensed. Their bodies were touching now, he could feel the shape of hers beneath her cloak. It was so close to his…

"Raven, I need to know what's going on," Robin snapped. The hand Raven was using to hold the communicator was shaking. In the background, Starfire made a questioning statement. Beast Boy slid his hands inside Raven's cloak, pressing them against her leotard. He ran a claw over the fabric, and it tore with a satisfying ripping sound, revealing surprisingly cool skin.

"Where are you?" Raven asked tersely. Beast Boy ran his teeth over her neck. No, he wouldn't bite her. Not yet.

"Raven, I need you to –"

"Where are you?!" She was no longer asking. She was demanding. Beast Boy ran his tongue over his teeth.

"Outside the hotel, now where are –" The rest was drowned out by Raven's cry of shock. Beast Boy had slowly run his tongue up her neck, from her collar bone to her ear.

"Wow, Rae," he purred. "You _do_ taste good."

"Wait, wait!" It was Cyborg on the other end. "Is that _Beast Boy_?!"

"_Azarath, metrion, ZINTHOS!"_ A black portal swallowed them up. Almost immediately, they were back in daylight. Beast Boy took a deep breath, regained his senses, realized how close to Raven he was, and let out a rather unmanly scream.

The rest of the team stood around them, various expressions on each of their faces. Behind them, Beast Boy could make out Mumbo Jumbo being led away in handcuffs by two cops. He prayed that Raven would kill him quickly.

As if he couldn't hold it in any longer, Cyborg exploded into laughter. "Oh – oh my _gawd_," he gasped between guffaws. "Beast Boy – gettin' funky with – _RAVEN_!" Beast Boy felt an intense blush rise to his face. He wanted to explain, to tell them that he hadn't been acting on his own terms. Although, technically, he had.

"Did Beast Boy…do the licking of friend Raven?" Starfire asked. "Is this a form of human courtship?" Raven's face was scarlet, and her eyes matched. All four of them.

Robin was biting his lip. "Er…I'm sure there's a rational explanation for…that." Beast Boy promptly turned into a rooster. It seemed the safest way of escaping explanation. Raven seethed. Her eyes locked on Beast Boy, and the changeling squawked in fear. He was definitely going to die today. Why, why, WHY had he let her open that door? '

Suddenly, Raven seemed to relax. Her four red eyes faded back into the two regular purple ones. Her gray skin was still maroon, but she looked less…deadly.

"Mumbo put a lust spell on the room," Raven said slowly. "And Beast Boy, being the _imbecile_ that he is, fell for it."

Cyborg had been chuckling the entire time, and he wiped a tear away from his human eye. "You two are _never_ gonna live this down!" Beast Boy ruffled his wings, mildly frustrated. Raven, on the other hand, was much more than mildly frustrated. With a crash, the T-Car, which had been sitting on the curb, was flung across the street and smashed into a dumpster. Cyborg stopped laughing after that.

As the Titans began the return trip back to the Tower, Beast Boy quickly shifted into his human form. He grabbed a handful of Raven's cloak before she could take off. She looked at him, her eyes narrowed dangerously. Beast Boy gulped, and took his hand from her cloak to rub his neck.

"So," he coughed, awkwardly. "I'm really sorry about that." Raven remained stoic, nothing registering on her still-flushed face. "It's just…certain things…make the animals…uh…crazy." Beast Boy found himself wishing she had killed him. "And then socially acceptable Beast Boy takes a rain check, and –"

Raven held up a small hand, affectively quieting him. "I don't care what made you do it," she said. Her eyes fixed on his, and she leaned close. "But if you ever lick me again, I will personally rip out your tongue and shove it where the sun doesn't shine." Her threat gathering the desired effect, Raven flew off after the rest of the team.

Beast Boy was left with his thoughts, watching the empath disappear around the curve of a building. With a jolt that sent a wave of heat to his face, he realized that the taste of her skin lingered in his mouth. And as many times as he told himself that what he had acted on was the room's hormones, that it could have been any other girl, that it was the animals in control, he had to admit one fact to himself:

Raven tasted _awesome_.


End file.
